It's time to put the emphasis on quality when it comes to immigration. That's the message from Liberal Democrats lead candidate for NSW, David Leyonhjelm, who is calling for a different approach to managing strong population growth.
"It's hard to ignore the congestion in our major cities. But calling for blanket bans on anything is never the answer," he declared.
"There is a shortage of people in many areas, and highly skilled professionals and business people create more jobs when they come here. This is not the case for family reunion migrants. The emphasis has to be on the quality of newcomers to our state rather than just the quantity, which is all we've heard so far in this debate.
"The Liberal Democrats have a long-standing policy that requires new migrants to make a substantial financial contribution in order to live here, and that denies new migrants access to welfare," David explained. "This is based on the fact that taxpayers have paid for the services new migrants will use, such as roads, public schools and other key infrastructure.
"The state government could also do a lot to ease congestion through greater investment in infrastructure. This is not just new train services and motorways, but practical considerations such as parking at train stations and bus stops. And there is much more that could be done to promote greater use of motorbikes and scooters," he added.
"For a new approach to immigration that doesn't involve soap box speeches or thinly veiled racism, the Liberal Democrats are the answer."
The Liberal Democrats support the retention of character, criminal and health checks on migrants, and endorse rigorous and relevant security screening before a resident can become a citizen.
"We want people who will embrace our values, not seek to impose their values on us. Anyone applying for residency or citizenship who supports female genital mutilation, forced marriages or the subordination of women is not welcome."
The Liberal Democrats are running in both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council at the March 23 election.
